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Unit 5: Amitav Ghosh: Shadow Lines: Theme of Nationalism

5.2 Summary Notes

• The Shadow Lines portray discreetly though casually the racial. Ila was often out by Nick
Price in school or on their way home, as he was ashamed of being seen in the company of an
Indian. Ila conjures up a story about Magda who was troubled and beaten by Denise, a
strongly built girl. Unconsciously she gives a vent to her trauma of prejudice, which she had
faced.
• Another Important feature of The Shadow Lines is the havoc and the terror created by the
riots, which find a mention in the novel. Despite the orgy of violence, bloodshed and merciless
killing, they have a transient existence. They are washed out from the public memory before
long. The narrator is at a loss to know that his friend, Malik at Delhi does not remember
anything about the riots that took place in Calcutta and Dhaka almost the same time in
which many were killed including his role model Tridib and neither do the newspapers
carry any significant report on it or attach much importance. ‘Then what is all this violence
for?’ he questions.
• The Shadow Lines underlines the fact that human kind everywhere is the same. Characters
intermingle not as members of distinct culture but as complex individuals in a world where
geographic boundaries have truly becomes the shadow Lines.
• Another theme of the novel is the concept of nationalism that is gaining ground in today’s
world. The author has held the extreme form of nationalism responsible for many a problem
these days. The separatist and secessionist tendencies are the outcome of it. Love of the
country, passion inspired nationalism and intoxication of patriotism cannot but lead to
jingoism.
• Another theme of The shadow Lines is that the time and distance are shadows. The novel
makes a smooth transition from present to the past and from past to the future without
causing any friction. The novel highlights the reality of the fictions people create around
their lives. Tridib says that every one lives in the story for stories are all there to live in, it is
just a question of which one we choose. Thus it is a flight into the imagination where
distance and time melt away.

5.3 Key-Words

1. Hazardous : Dangerous.
2. Dislocation : Disturbance from a proper, original, or usual place or state.

5.4 Review Questions

1. Discuss the theme of Nationality in Shadow Lines.
2. Time and distance are shadows. Discuss.
3. Write a short notes on the themes of Shadow Lines.
4. What are the features of Shadow Lines?

5.5 Further Readings

1. Bagchi, Nivedita. “The Process of Validation in Relation to Materiality and
Historical Reconstruction in Amitav Ghosh’s The Shadow Lines.” Modern Fiction
Studies 39:1 (Spring 1993). pp. 187-202.

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